By Spc. Amber Porter
RC- East PAO

BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan – Task Force Talon is accountable for more than 50 aircraft to include airframe models: UH-60 A/L/M, CH-47D, OH-58D, AH-64D and HH-60M. With the abundance of aircraft responsibility comes two significant types of maintenance–scheduled and unscheduled.

Since TF Talon’s arrival to Bagram Air Field in September 2011, they have flown more than 17,000 combat hours within the borders of Regional Command East. With combat hours likely to increase in the spring and summer months, the 24-hour aircraft maintainers of Delta company, Dark Horse, will continue to propel themselves into their immense maintenance load to support the high operational tempo and vital mission of TF Talon.

Delta Company’s Production Control shop prioritizes the scheduled and unscheduled maintenance for each shift based on how quickly the maintenance can be completed, how soon the aircraft is needed for mission and the next day’s mission requirements. The PC shop works closely with the company’s maintenance test pilots to determine the maintenance status of helicopters. The PC shop and MTPs decide whether the maintenance issue is an actual “grounding” condition which will cause the helicopter to go into a nonmission-capable status or if they can defer the maintenance until a later time.

A phase inspection is a major maintenance event that incorporates inspecting the entire airframe for corrosion, cracks and damaged components; an evaluation of overall airworthiness. Generally, a phase team consists of six to eight troopers working eight- to 12-hour shifts.

“It’s a daily struggle, balancing aircraft requirements with available personnel,” said U.S. Army Spc. Michael Johnson, an avionics mechanic with Dark Horse and a native of Fairfield, Calif. “Obviously, the more people we have the faster it goes but when unscheduled maintenance conflicts with a scheduled phasing personnel are spread then.”

All of the shops are involved in each phase. The majority of the work goes to sheet metal and avionics mechanics. However engine, power train and hydraulics play a part in the maintenance of a helicopter. The average number of maintenance days for a UH-60 is 15 and a CH-47 is 21 days.

Task Force Talon’s battalion aviation maintenance and production control officer, U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 5 Bert Shober, from Monroe, Va., expressed why he felt TF Talon’s maintainers stand apart from other unit maintainers in RC-East.

“All of us, in Dark Horse take great pride in what we do each day. Doesn’t matter how many phases we do or how many flights we launch or how many hours we fly, we only care that all the crews come home safely. That’s the reward,” said Shober. “Most importantly, our troopers always ask themselves, would I let my son, daughter, wife or husband fly on this aircraft I just worked on at every level of maintenance.”

Task Force Talon maintains an 88 percent operational readiness rate across seven airframes in the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade.

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